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The Astra comes to the United States in three- and five-door hatchback configurations and provides spirited Euro-engineered underpinnings.

2008 Saturn Astra XR: GM's German arm sends another winner stateside

November 12, 2007

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As small cars from the Detroit Three go, the 2008 Saturn Astra is a good car. As General Motors small cars go, the Astra is a very good car. As a replacement for the oh-so-boring Saturn Ion, the Astra is out of this world.

The Astra, essentially the same car sold as an Opel Astra in Europe and assembled in Antwerp, Belgium, replaces the Ion as Saturns price leader, but beyond that, there is no comparison. The Astra comes to the United States in three- and five-door hatchback configurations (versus the Ion sedan and coupe models) and provides spirited Euroengineered underpinnings that skew to go-kart versus golf cart.

Like the Saturn Aura thats marketed as an Opel Vectra in Europe, the Astra is a product of German engineering and design -- and it shows. Our black sapphire three-door XR test model, equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels, was a head turner, with sleek fastback styling and a sharply raked windshield working together to create the right racy proportions.

The interior, from the meaty leatherwrapped steering wheel to the cushioned dashboard and soft rubber at many key touch points, is impressive. It could use some lightening up -- its a dark place, especially when youre trying to identify some of the Eurocoded buttons and switches -- but you wont find any rickety plastics in here. Overall, as small cars go, interior and cargo room seem reasonable.

(We loaded two adults and three preteens into a threedoor without complaints -- two extra doors on the XE model certainly would make the space even more accessible.) No dullard by any measure, the Astra still could use a little more than the 138 hp and 125 lb-ft of torque available from its 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine. Even with the five-speed manual transmission, we found ourselves wishing for more low-end oomph. Wed also like a sixth gear to cut buzzy engine revs at highway speeds (and improve fuel economy in the process). Dont look for any of those changes, however. The Astra underwent its midcycle makeover in 2007 and wont see any substantive changes -- Saturn or Opel -- until the car is replaced in about three years.

Power aside, the Astra feels robust. The ride is fluid, not jarring, with a chassis that gives the impression that its ready to take on all corners.

Steering, never a strong point for small Saturns in the past, is weighty and direct. Not surprisingly, considering that this car has to hold its own on the German autobahn, it is capable and stable on the freeway.

Again, cutting the rpm at 70 mph and above would help, as would knocking out the A-pillar wind noise, but otherwise, the cabin is fairly isolated from the road.

Opel sells half a million Astras in Europe; Saturn hopes to sell just onetenth that number in the States, mostly because of Americas unusual aversion to hatchbacks. This is a serious small car, more than competitive in the sub- $20,000 range. GM might have to rethink that number significantly upward.